Awakening
by Marina0117
Summary: How do you protect the woman you love from the man who made you what you are? The truth is, it doesn't matter how, as long as you keep her safe in the end. **Rated M for violence and adult themes**
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story has a unique perspective. The POV changes a couple of times in the first 2 chapters, just to get the story set up. It's definitely not my normal style of writing. Also, this story does have some mature content in it, if you didn't read the summary. So read on with caution. And I hope you all enjoy it.

Special thanks to Nerissi. You are something else. I never thought anyone could get me to post _anything_. But I am so happy _you_ did.

XXX

Root: Those of the foundation have no name, no emotion. There is no past, no future. There is only the mission. We are the Roots that support the great trunk of the tree that is the leaf village, invisible from inside the earth.

XXXX

Chapter 1

XXXX

"Thank you Sumi." Lord Danzo said in a quiet voice. I gently set down a cup of hot green tea on the table in front of him as the dark haired stranger sat silently across from him. I bowed and backed away as my eyes stayed fixed to the ground the entire time. I had been taught my place at a young age, do not look Lord Danzo in the eye. I am but a lowly servant to him, my Master.

I knelt on the floor outside the door to his study, ready for any order he may give. My hands lay folded in my lap with my gaze again locked on to the floor. The young man that was sitting with Lord Danzo right now was someone I had never met before. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the strong pulsating feeling that sat across from my Master. Usually I could see a person's emotions through the energy their body emitted, but his was undisturbed. Like he had no emotion at all.

 _Master must be very proud of this one_. _Emotionless, just as the Root should be._  
Well, according to my Master anyway. It broke my heart to see how far he had taken it with this man. He was completely blank. Usually there was still some sign of humanity left, however small. His was completely absent. I stayed in place as the men made their way through the door. I stood, head bowed as I waited for them, and my next instruction.

"Sumi, take this man to his room. He will be staying with us now." I nodded silently. I rarely spoke around my Master, only listened. 'I am not here to listen to you, it is the other way around.' He had told me on more than one occasion growing up. "Once you are sure he has all he needs, come and finish your nightly duties." Nodding again, I turned and started to walk as the young man with the pale skin followed.

"Thank you Lord Danzo." I heard him say. We snaked through the halls of the estate, slowing briefly as we passed important rooms and I named them off to him.

"On the left here is the restroom. I have placed a towel on your bed so you may shower once you're settled. The dining room is here," I stopped for a moment and let the door next to me swing open as I gave a peak of what was behind it. "Breakfast is at 7:30 sharp, everyday. Do not be late or you will not eat." I stated without pause as I continued to quietly glide across the hardwood floors of the seemingly infinite halls of my master's estate.

As we came to the end of the hall, I stopped in front of his door. "Here is where you will stay. My room is right next door, there." I said motioning to a door that looked just like the countless other doors we had passed along our way. "I will be happy to help you with anything you need. Please feel free to ask. You may call me Sumi, as my Master does." I bowed my head slightly to him. I knew not to ask his name as he probably didn't have one anymore. That was another tool Master used to suppress emotions.

"Thank you, Sumi." he smiled down at me. I almost jumped at the soft yet masculine voice that seemed to have come out of nowhere. The smoothness of it reminded me of his aura. Controlled and subdued. Everything about that soft, silky sound was pleasant to me.

I looked up and caught his gaze. "Sleep well, My Lord." I said bowing slightly. I felt my heart beat quicken as I saw something I had never seen in a Root soldier's eyes. The human touch of emotion that was missing from his energy was right there looking back at me. He had pushed it so far down that it receded in to something involuntary for him. But he hadn't rid himself of it completely. It was a form of coping that I had never seen before.

I quickly went to my room and tried to compose myself. I too had been trained to suppress my emotion since I had been Lord Danzo's servant for many years. To him, emotion is a sign of weakness and it can cause you to make poor decisions. But even after all the years, I still held on to my heart, it was just callused and bruised. But the way this nameless man had learned to deal with his unnatural training had surprised me, and caused a reaction of my own. One I wasn't expecting.

After taking a moment to gather myself, I quickly made my way back to Master's quarters. Part of my nightly responsibilities was to dress Master is his night robes and help him to bed. He had begun to seem more fragile over the past few years, but I knew better than anyone it was all an act. Lord Danzo never did anything without good reason.

"Were there any problems? That took much too long." He said looking at me with disappointment as I entered his room. I shook my head in response, and braced myself for the nightly routine. I went to him and began to remove his formal robes and dress him in his night robes. Once changed, I helped him to his bed and he sat on the edge of it. "Good, good." he said as he lie back and an evil grin came across his face. He grabbed a handful of my hair on the back of my head and pushed my face down to his waist. "Now," He said with a sweet tone that was laced with venom, "open your mouth."

XXXX

Taking a deep breath, I removed the formal robe that Lord Danzo insisted I wear as I served him. Letting it drop it the floor, I let my mind wander through the events of the day as I prepared for bed. I was always able to block out the things that Master made me do. He had been forcing himself on me since I was young. Since the day I had become old enough, he swore to me he would make me his bride. The last year I had lived in terror, just waiting for the day he would finally fulfill his word.

I was finally in my room, alone, and I could no longer hold on to my brave face. As I brushed my hair and watched myself in the mirror, I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. And once they started, I could do little to stop them. I didn't want to see my own face anymore I was so ashamed of myself for what I had let him do to me for so many years. I've always told myself that I didn't have a choice. It was this or live on the streets and probably die. But that lie was no longer working to quell my distress.

I fell into a pile on the floor and continued to cry. I had spent so many nights just like this, knowing these tears were my only release. In the morning, I would wake up, brush myself off, and continue as though nothing was wrong. But that routine was becoming more and more difficult to keep up. I had to find a solution, find a way out of my personal hell.

 **XOXOX**

Most people would say they were nervous, or scared, or excited when they started a new job. I wasn't. I didn't feel anything. Nothing except a sense of duty to Lord Danzo. He was the head of the ANBU Black Ops special Root Foundation, and my direct superior. In fact, it was Danzo that had trained me to suppress all emotion so that I can complete my missions more efficiently. That's how all of the Root members were in ANBU.

When we arrived at the estate, Lord Danzo had his personal servant, Sumi, escort me to my room. She seemed the same as me, almost emotionless. I almost thought she was part of the Root Foundation too. But there was something that I didn't quite understand about her that told me she was not a shinobi. Maybe it was her softness, how delicate she seemed. She was definitely not like the other girls I had worked with. She still seemed quite strong, just not in the physical sense.

I remember that she was visually pleasant to look at. I had never really seen a girl like that. On the first night in my new home, I could hear her crying from her room. Her bedroom was on the other side of the wall, behind my bed. I began feeling... something. I had forgotten how to identify emotions and I wasn't sure what to do. I hadn't felt... anything in so long. I had a sudden urge to... go to her, talk to her. I wanted to make sure she was ok. I wanted to protect her.

Before I knew it my body was moving of its own accord. I went and knocked on her door softly, but there was no answer. I could still hear the soft sobbing on the other side of the door. "Sumi, are you alright?" I called out to her softly as I turned the doorknob and entered. There she was, laying on the ground sobbing, but completely asleep. This girl, this poor girl had made me feel more in the last 10 minutes than I had in the last 10 years, and she was probably asleep for most of it. She had an amazing power. Her ability to make me respond was almost as powerful as a genjutsu, something I had to struggle to break free of.

I felt sorry for her, I felt protective of her. Little hints of emotion started to bubble up to the surface of my mind. I walked over to the bed, grabbed the blanket, and covered her as she continued to sleep and cry softly. As I knelt down to pull the blanket up to her chin, I couldn't stop myself as I brushed the hair from her cheek. My heart pounded faster.

 _How is she doing this to me?_  
I honestly thought she was doing _something_. I had been with girls before, and even touching their naked bodies never made me react like this. I suppose the truth is: Her beauty was stronger than anything I had experienced before.

I quietly turned and left, stealing one last glance at her as I shut the door. As I lie in bed that night, I couldn't get the thought of her out of my mind. The way my heart starting pounding...it actually _scared_ me. I realized at that moment that Sumi would be trouble for me. I decided I would keep my distance from her. Emotion is something that Root members do not have the luxury of enjoying.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here we are, chapter 2. I need to give prior warning though. This chapter contains some very upsetting parts to it. If rape makes you uncomfortable, then be aware there is some in this chapter. That being said, I hope you all read on and enjoy.  
 **Be-Mindful and letsrandom321:** Thanks for your favorite and review. I hope you guys will continue reading.

Chapter 2 

The next few weeks continued on as usual. The new soldier that was staying with us seemed to settle in with ease. He was on missions so often that at times, I had forgotten that he had even arrived in the first place. I spent my days as I always had, kneeling down in my place outside of Master's study, ready to answer to his every whim. 

I wished that I could escape this life, but it was all I'd known for so long. I was grateful to Master for saving me as a child and taking me in. But over the last few years, he began to abuse me. I was terrified of him. Any little thing I may have done to displease him he used as an excuse to 'punish' me. The punishment usually consisting of me on my knees and him with that sick sneer on his face.

The rape started when I was 15 after I had made him late for a meeting with the Village Elders. He was furious, and I suppose he felt like he needed to be a little more creative with his punishment. I apologized profusely to which he responded with the back of his hand to my mouth.  
"Shut up! Do not speak unless I have given you permission to do so!" he screamed. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes and blood dripping from my mouth. Then he slapped me across the face again, this time swelling and darkening my eye while knocking me to my knees. "Do not look me in the eye! You are beneath me! Just a mere servant! How dare you act as if you are equal to me!" As he walked around me like a predator about to pounce on it's prey, I heard a slight chuckle escape his lips.

As I continued to keep my eyes on the ground, I watched as first his sash, and then his robe hit the floor. "You know Sumi, you really have grown beautiful over the years." His tone had changed from one of anger, to one that was sickly sweet. He stopped directly in front of me and pulled me to my feet by my hair. He started caressing my cheeks and wiped the blood from my lips with his thumb, licking it clean. He started to untie my robe and I just stood there with my eyes closed, just praying this was all a nightmare. I felt the cold air on my skin as my robe fell to floor and he let out a delighted sound. "Mmmm... yes, very beautiful indeed." I could feel his wet, hot breath on my skin, the smell of it made me sick. "But your beauty won't save you from your punishment." He grabbed me and pushed me down onto the bed and...

That was the first time he raped me. I wish I could say it was the last. I wish I could say it never happened. For the next year he would find any reason to 'punish' me. Finally, he completely broke me. I stopped fighting him, stopped speaking around him all together. I did absolutely everything he asked me to do, without hesitation. But that was never enough to keep him at bay. There was always something I didn't do properly, or could've done better. There was always a reason for him to 'put me in my place', as he liked to say.

About a year before my 18th birthday, he began speaking of making me his wife when I was of age. That was when I began desperately looking for an escape. I would rather die than marry that monster. And I'm sure he would want me to have children. No, there was just no way. I had to find a way out. I needed help, but I had to find someone I could trust. Root agents were the only people that Master allowed around me. He knew he had them trained as well as I was. Anytime, anyone even came close to the estate, his soldiers would remove them. So I waited, biding my time, hoping that someday I would find the help a needed, a way out.

 **XOXO**

I had just returned from a mission Lord Danzo sent me on. I had joined a team of Shinobi from the village a few months prior. I had initially joined them under the guise of helping them bring back a comrade that had gone rogue. My mission within that mission was to assassinate that rogue ninja, and try to make a secret alliance with an enemy. It was during that mission I had begun to change. I had adopted a name, Sai, and learned a lot about the emotions that I had shut down so many years earlier. Just watching the other shinobi and they way they acted around each other... It seemed so foreign to me, but at the same time, it was intriguing. 

That was the first time I had purposefully failed a mission, refusing to kill the other ninja. Just being able to witness the obvious display of love and loyalty from my new teammates started to pull my own emotions back out of me. I was starting to better understand what I had felt when I watched Sumi sleeping my first night here. I started to realize that it wasn't anything she did, it wasn't some secret jutsu, she just made me... _feel_. 

I spent the time after that first mission studying about emotions. I quickly learned that I knew very little when it came to interaction with others. I did not want to make Sumi feel the way I made my team feel. I made the female member of my team, Sakura, physically attack me on more than one ocassion out of pure anger. I decided I would avoid Sumi until I was more confident in my social skills. But I just could not get her out of my mind. 

"Well, you've been awfully busy with the new mission I've given you. You will continue to infiltrate Team Kakashi, and I will give you updates on any new objectives as they come. But just remember to keep your emotions under control. Emotions only generate hatred. That hatred breeds nothing but conflict." He paused thoughtfully, furrowing his brow. "And furthermore, you have been in the village an awful lot lately. I would prefer that you spend more time here, at the estate... Sai." He almost smiled as he called me by my 'name'. "So as a tool to ensure this will happen, I have another mission for you. A solo mission. I will be headed to the Hidden Mist Village on business and will be gone for some time. While I am gone, you will be the head of the house in my place. I should return within 6 weeks time." 

I nodded to him. "Of course Lord Danzo. Thank you for your confidence in me. I will not let you down." 

"Sumi, come here." he called to his servant and she rushed in just seconds later. "I am leaving on business in the morning. While I am gone, you are to treat Sai here as your Master in my place." She kept her eyes on the ground and nodded to him. "You may go." said Danzo as he shooed her away with the back of his hand. I watched her as she quickly went back to kneeling on her small cushion outside of his door, never once looking up.

Seeing her like that caused another new feeling, like a heavy weight in my chest. She was like a broken doll whose eyes would no longer open when you lifted its head. I felt the need to protect her rise up in me as I continued to watch her. Soon I could feel Lord Danzo's eyes on me. He cleared his throat to get my attention,"She's very beautiful, isn't she?" he asked, not expecting a response. "Sumi will give you all you need... _Anything_ you wish, while I am away." The way he smiled after saying that made me think there was an underlying meaning to what he had said, but I didn't know what.

"Thank you Lord Danzo, I will not let you down." I smiled as I stood then bowed, making my way to my room to rest. My last mission was tough and I was exhausted. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, sleeping the rest of the evening, missing dinner. I woke up in the middle of the night to a tray of food on the table in my room. The note with it said: 

_Lord Sai, I didn't want to wake you for dinner knowing you had worked very hard on your mission. Please eat, you need your strength. Starting tomorrow, you will be the Master of the Estate. Your Loyal Servant, Sumi._

The idea that someone was thinking of me made me smile. She wanted to make sure I had all I needed and she even anticipated those needs. It's almost like she knew what I needed before I did. _No wonder she's Lord Danzo's personal servant_. As I sat there and enjoyed my midnight meal, I heard the door to the room next door open then shut. _Sumi? It's so late. I wonder why she is awake._

Then I heard her sobbing again. This time she was speaking too, almost begging along with the cries. "Why? Why me? What did I do to deserve this life?" she pleaded between sobs. Hearing this was causing a heavy pain in my chest and my appetite left me. I had to make sure she was ok. I made my way out of my door and to her room. 

XXXX 

The night before my Master left, he called me into his room more than once. "I have to make up for the days I will be gone, don't I?" he said, the words that came out of his mouth were coated with a despicable slime. As soon as he was done with dinner he made me come and bathe him.

"Make sure it's nice and clean." he said as he tilted his head back enjoying the touch of my hand on his wrinkly old balls. I had to fight back the urge to vomit. "It's still not clean enough. You'll have to use your mouth." Those words oozed out of his mouth as he sat up on the edge of the tub, shoving my head down. Thankfully he finished quickly. "Now go finish your duties in the kitchen!" he ordered as he threw a towel in my face and sunk back into the tub.

As I was cleaning up after dinner, I decided that I would set a plate for Lord Sai and bring it to his room. Surely he would be hungry once he awoke. I had been thinking about what he would be like as a master. I worried that he would be a master like Lord Danzo. Master did tell him I was there for 'anything he wished.' I figured I should start out on a good note and make sure he has everything he might need. Hopefully that would keep any punishments to a minimum for the time being. 

After cleaning the kitchen and dining room, I brought the tray of food quietly in to Lord Sai's room. As I turned to leave, I stopped in my tracks as I saw him. I felt my face turn flush and my heart start pounding. He was lying on his bed, on top of the covers, in only his boxer shorts. His upper body was toned and muscular but still long and lean. His black hair lay messy across his forehead and his creamy skin was pulled taught over his muscular form. I had never seen any man my age like this. I stared at him with my mouth gaping. His form was visually pleasing to me, much better than the sagging skin on Master. I could have stayed there watching him for hours.

I was pulled back to reality by the sound of Master calling me. I hung my head in despair and began making my way back to Lord Danzo's quarters. He was standing there waiting for me with a crazed look in his eyes. He smelled of sake and I knew I was in trouble. If he was drunk, he didn't need a reason to hit me. It seemed that just the sight of my face was enough to infuriate him.

 _*smack*_ "What took you so long?! Huh?! When you hear me calling for you, you come running!" _*smack-smack*_ He hit me so hard that I fell to floor and slid across it a couple feet. I felt the blood running from my nose and my bottom lip start to swell. I kept my eyes on the ground knowing that my eye contact would send him into a deeper rage. He reached down and grabbed me by my hair, pulling me up to my feet and throwing me down on the bed. "You think it hurts now, just wait. Just you wait." he slurred. He tore away my robe and ripped off my panties and turned me face down on the bed. He forcefully pulled my body to the edge of the mattress and made my ass stick up high. Without any warning he rammed himself inside my ass making me scream and cry out in agony. "I told you I'd show you what pain is. You can cry all you want, it only makes it better." His lips curled up in to an evil smile as he spoke, and he pushed my face into the mattress to muffle the painful cries. He rammed into me over and over and over, making me bleed from the force. It seemed to go on forever. I shut my eyes tight, telling myself it would be over soon. Finally he released inside me, lifted and pushed me off of the bed. I just stood there shaking, crying and gasping for air. He just got into bed, his back towards me. "Why are you still here? I am done with you. Get out of my sight!" 

I grabbed my clothes and quickly stumbled to the bathroom. It hurt so bad just to walk down the hallway. His fluids and my blood had mixed and were running down my leg. I finally made it to the shower. I stayed there, scrubbing myself, trying to no avail to scrub away his filth. After what felt like hours, I stepped out of the shower and stood in front of the mirror for a long time, just watching this girl that I no longer knew. She was so sad and fragile. She seemed like one wrong move could shatter her to pieces like a porcelain doll. I didn't recognize myself anymore.

I went to my room, changed in to my pajamas and was preparing to clean and mend the wounds on my face, but as I sat down on my bed, the pain became too much to bear. I couldn't hold it in any longer. My sorrow and despair exploded out of me. The past 3 and a half years of being raped, over and over again had finally broken me. I just stayed there, kneeling on the floor next to my bed, sobbing uncontrollably. I cried out to no one in particular, begging for answers to why this was happening.

The next thing I remember was Sai putting a blanket around me. He lifted my chin gently with his hand. All of my crying had caused my wounds to start bleeding again."What happened to you?" he asked as he saw the bloody trail from my nose to my lips and partly down my chin. I looked in his eyes and opened my mouth so reveal the black curse mark on my tongue. I couldn't tell him even if I wanted to. He gave me a look that I was not expecting. One of complete understanding. No judgment, no questioning. 

I dropped my guard as I wept uncontrollably, muffling my sobs in his shoulder. I dug my fingers into his back and held on for dear life. I never answered his question, and he never asked again. He didn't need to, he already knew the answer. He had also felt the wrath of Lord Danzo before. After crying for so long, I guess I just passed out from exhaustion. 

**XOXO**

The sight that I found when I opened her door was one of the most troubling I had ever witnessed. I have fought in many battles, I've assassinated people, left them for dead in a pool of their own blood. But the sight of this was more than I could bare. 

Sumi sat slumped in the floor, her body was heaving and trembling with her tears. "Sumi?" I said startling her. She looked up at me quickly with the look of absolute terror in her eyes. Her left eye was darkened with a bruise, her nose and lip bloodied. Once she realized it was me, she just lowered her head again and continued sobbing. I grabbed the blanket from her bed and wrapped her in it as I sat next to her on the floor. I tried to get her to tell me what happened and when she opened her mouth, I saw a very familiar sight. One I see every day in the mirror. I had a good idea who did this to her before, but now I was positive. Lord Danzo placed the curse mark on her tongue to keep her quiet, just as he does with all ROOT members and anyone that is close enough to know his secrets. I let her cry on my shoulder and once she started to slow her sobs a little, I lifted her and placed her in her bed. 

I sat there on the edge of her bed, my back to her, elbows on my knees and head in my hands. I wanted to comfort her, I wanted to make her feel better, to take it all away... but I just didn't know how. I sat there until she fell silent and her breathing grew slow and rhythmic. I went and got my medical supplies from one of my ninja packs and cleaned her face gently, trying not to wake her. She was still so beautiful, even with the cuts and bruises. How could anyone do this to her? How could Lord Danzo... but I knew just how cruel of a man he truly was. Thinking back to my cursed tongue and the fight I was forced to have with the boy I called my brother. I knew he was capable of so much worse, and I feared for the injuries that I could not see.

I remembered what he had said to me earlier. "Sumi will give you all you need, _anything_ you wish..." he had said with a grin. I had never seen him smile before. As I started putting the pieces together, I felt a heaviness in my chest. I had to fight the urge to throw up at the thought of him touching her against her will. I began feeling an emotion that would become all too familiar around that man. Anger.

I sat there on the edge of her bed until the sun started to rise. I wanted to make sure that she made it through the night safely. As daylight started to creep through the windows, I made my way back to my room, reluctantly leaving her alone.


End file.
